A Lesson in Tolerance
by Scarfia
Summary: JL Why did Lily really decide to give James a chance in her seventh year? An unexpected friend teaches her tolerance. Oneshot


Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: This is from Andromeda's POV. It is a James/ Lily centric story (although James does not actually appear in it) for luver of jellybeans. I've had it finished for a while, but I hadn't gotten around to posting it. Hope you like it!

Tolerance

How she got herself into these situations she never knew.

She had to fall for the one person her family would hate and her daughter caused her twice as much trouble as any normal child would. Just recently she discovered that she could change her entire appearance enough to keep Andromeda from recognizing her daughter. She had nearly had a heart attack the first time she looked around and noticed that Dora was missing. She shuddered at the thought of the day when she would realize that if she transfigured her clothes, there was no way that her mother could recognize her.

She had just returned from a hectic trip to Diagon Alley, looking for some new robes for Dora. The Hogwarts rush was beginning early this year, and she had had to be extra careful to keep a tight grip on her daughter at all times. Ted ran up to her and greeted her with a quick kiss. "I'll take those, dear," he said, taking the packages from her hands. "You're home just in time. Albus flooed asking for you just a minute ago. I'll take Dora upstairs."

Andromeda went to the living room and knelt before the fire. Albus Dumbledore smiled kindly at her, his blue eyes twinkling. "Pleasure to see you Andromeda. Would you mind stepping into my office? I have something that I wish to discuss."

"Of course," she replied puzzled. She had not spoken to the Headmaster much since she had left Hogwarts. And as Dora was not nearly old enough to start Hogwarts, she was at a loss to what he could possibly want.

"Excellent," said Dumbledore, vanishing.

Andromeda called upstairs to tell Ted where she was going and she flooed over to Hogwarts. Despite the fact that flooing always made her feel unstable, she stepped out of the fireplace gracefully, a product of her mother's intense training.

The Headmaster's office looked as it had during her school years, giving the impression that it had always been that way and always would be. She brushed some soot off of her clothes and sat down.

"How are things Andromeda?"

"Quite fine thank you." She waited.

Dumbledore smiled. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't keep you in suspense any longer. I don't believe that you know Miss Lily Evans? She was a first year the year you left Hogwarts I believe."

Andromeda shook her head.

"Neither would you be acquainted with a James Potter?"

That name she knew, the surname anyway. "I've heard of the Potter family before," she said. Her family had looked down on them, calling them blood traitors, but of course, they called her the same thing now. "They're an old family, but I have never heard of James Potter in particular."

Albus tapped his long fingers together. "Then perhaps I should fill you in on their history. First, however, I would like to show you the reason I brought you here." He picked a sheet of paper from his desk. "You see this year I choose Lily Evans and James Potter to be Head Girl and Head Boy. I sent a letter out to the two of them, informing them of their positions and whom they would be working with. Mr. Potter, I imagine, was ecstatic. Miss Evans on the other hand." He handed the letter to Andromeda.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_I am writing to thank you heartily for electing me as Head Girl. It is an honor. However, I do not feel that it would be in my best intellectual interest…_

Andromeda's eyebrows knitted together. 'Surely, the girl wasn't about to deny the position. She'd never heard of a student who had. The perks were unbelievable for a seventeen year old: your own dorm, almost unlimited access to Hogwarts at night, since you had to patrol the halls, and of course authority over the other students.

The letter went on to list several more reasons that another Head Girl ought to be appointed, none of which convinced the reader that Ms. Evans truly did not want to the position. Andromeda looked up to see Dumbledore waiting patiently.

"This is a problem indeed. You can't just let the girl throw away an opportunity like this. Merlin's beard," she shook her head. "Can't really see what it has to do with me, however."

Placing his long fingers together, Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, a twinkle in his eye. "This is a difficult situation, but I do believe that you are the best one to resolve it. You see I know that the real reason that Ms. Evans does not wish to be Head Girl is Mr. Potter. The two have been fighting as long as they've known each other, though the rumor is that he is quite fond of her. It's one of those things you can't avoid hearing about these days. Normally I don't like to meddle in my students' affairs, but I don't believe that Ms. Evans ought to resign her position as Head Girl."

Andromeda nodded. That sounded reasonable to her.

"I would appreciate it, if you would speak to her."

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And so that was how Andromeda found herself waiting for one Ms. Lily Evans to come through the fireplace on a Tuesday afternoon in late summer. Sitting at the sofa, she nervously heated the teapot on the coffee table with a flick of her wand. Ted had taken an enthusiastic Dora to the nearby playground earlier that day, so the house was completely empty.

Before they had left, Andromeda had confided in Ted that she had no idea what she was going to say. "I don't know why he asked me of all people. It's not like I'm an expert on relationships or anything. And I can't just tell her that she can't just let a boy ruin her entire life, because she won't listen to me."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Ted. "Seems like sound advice to me."

"Well," said Andromeda, her hands in the air, "I didn't listen to Narcissa when she told me that same thing about you."

Ted snorted, opening his newspaper.

"Of course you didn't ruin my life darling," she said, reaching over to kiss him on the top of his head. He snaked one arm around her waist.

"I should certainly hope not," Ted said before kissing her soundly.

The roaring of the flames in her fireplace brought Andromeda out of her reminiscing. A green blaze rose and a teenage girl stepped out of the fireplace, her red hair whipping around her face. She looking slightly nauseated and staggered a bit. The two looked at each other for a moment.

The first impression Andromeda had of Lily Evans was that she looked intelligent, her green eyes bright, but was rather unbalanced and unsure, in more ways then one.

Rising out of her seat, Andromeda offered a hand towards Lily in order to help her. "Thank you. I'm fine," said Lily, staggering into the nearest chair. "I just need a moment." Taking a deep breath, Lily looked up at Andromeda. "All better," she insisted, despite her pale face. Andromeda decided to leave the issue alone.

"Well, Ms. Evans would you like some tea?" At the girl's nod, she poured the tea into a slightly chipped cup with a picture of a rosebush on it. She handed it to Lily, who blew on it for a moment before sipping it carefully. Taking some for herself, Andromeda leaned back onto the cushions.

"If I might ask, Ms. Evans, what did Dumbledore tell you was the reason he sent you here today?"

The girl looked at her cautiously. "The Headmaster told me that he wanted me to talk to a friend of his before I turned down the Head Girl position."

Andromeda nodded. _Darn you Dumbledore. I haven't got a clue what to say to her that won't sound pretentious._

While Andromeda hesitated, Lily took the opportunity to launch into an obviously well rehearsed speech. "But you see Mrs. Tonks, being Head Girl is not right for me at all. This will be my last year at Hogwarts and I want to be able to focus on my class work. I'm not sure what I want to do with my life. I'm confused and I don't think I ought to be in a leadership position right now. Mrs. Tonks, I appreciate you seeing me today, but…" Andromeda held up a hand in order to stop the girl's eager rambling.

"Call me Andromeda," she said. "And this has nothing at all to do with James Potter?" She pressed her lips together to avoid laughing at the shocked look on Lily's face.

Lily spoke in a much softer voice than she had been before. "No, course not," she let out a half-hearted chuckle. "That would be ridiculous…over a boy," she shook her head.

Smiling triumphantly, Andromeda picked up the teapot again. "More tea dear?" While Lily was attempting to regain her hold on speech, Andromeda took control of the conversation as she poured more tea. "So, why don't you tell me all about Mr. Potter than."

Lily wavered for a moment, and then gave in. "He's a boy in my year. I've known him since, well the first time I took a train to Hogwarts. First impression he made on me wasn't a great one, since he made fun of my best friend at the time. Potter didn't like Slytherins every much and that of course was the house my friend got sorted into."

She went on to explain about James Potter. The way he taunted Severus Snape, and cursed him behind Lily's back, the first time he had started asking her out, his persistence in doing so, and her fury at him for ignoring everything she had ever asked of him and still expecting her to go out with him anyway.

"The boy just won't take no for an answer."

"At least you know he cares," pointed out Andromeda. "Most boys would have lost interest by now."

"That's true," admitted Lily, picking at the lining of the chair "but it's still annoying."

"Men can be very annoying; it's in their nature," said Andromeda with a smile. "When Ted, my husband, started seeking me out, just to be his friend mind you, he was very persistent. Drove me mad. Of course it bothered me for slightly different reasons then you."

"What reasons?" Lily asked.

Andromeda waved her arm around dismissingly, "Let's just say that my family wasn't very accepting. I knew they wouldn't be too pleased with my friendship with Ted."

A wistful expression came across her face. "He wouldn't listen to me when I told him to stay away, of course. Sometimes I think he'd be better off if he had, but I'm glad he didn't." She smiled warmly at the memory.

"Well, it doesn't matter what my family thinks," said Lily. "They have nothing to do with my love life."

"Glad to hear it," said Andromeda. "But I thought you weren't interested."

Lily sank back into the plush green chair, biting her lip. She seemed unsure if she wanted to divulge the information to someone she barely knew, but she had been keeping it inside for too long. "The problem is," she said, after a moment. "The problem is that I do like him, but I don't think I ought to. He seems to have grown up quite a bit, but I just don't know if I can trust him. That's why I don't want to be Head Girl. I don't think we should spend so much time together." She picked at a loose string on her shirt.

"You should start trusting yourself more, otherwise you'll never trust anyone. And that's a bad place to be."

Lily straightened in her chair. "Look, Ms. Tonks, I appreciate it, but I don't think you understand my situation."

"I understand more than you think-"

"Maybe you had family troubles, but that doesn't matter. It all worked out for you in the end," said Lily.

"Oh?" said Andromeda, narrowing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "You may not realize this, but my maiden name is Black. Perhaps you know my cousin Sirius? Or my sister Bellatrix Lestrange?"

Lily flinched, but Andromeda couldn't stop the words coming out of her mouth. "Do you think it was easy for me to marry Ted, who is by the way, a muggleborn? Sometimes you have to fight for what you want. Never let anyone tell you what to do, especially in the matters of the heart. Do you understand me!" Andromeda found herself standing up with her finger pointed at Lily's slightly shocked face. She blinked then sat herself back down.

Before either of them could react, the front door opened and a voice rang out. "Andromeda, we're home! Dora got hungry, so we came back for a snack." Ted walked into the living room, with a little four year old trailing behind him. "Hello Sweetie," he said, kissing her on the top of her head. "Don't mind us," he said to Lily, oblivious of the shell-shocked look she was wearing. He continued onto the kitchen, and the sounds of cupboards being opened could be heard and the clanging of utensils.

Dora trotted halfway across the floor, her thumb in her mouth. Turning to Lily she stopped and considered her for a moment. Then her hair turned bright red. "Pretty," she remarked and then followed her father into the kitchen.

Lily and Andromeda stared at each other for a moment. "Well," remarked Andromeda. "Well." She silently cursed Dumbledore again.

Lily cleared her throat. "Ms. Tonks, I think I ought to be going now. I've decided to take the position after all." She got to her feet. Andromeda got up as well and retrieved the box of floo powder from the mantle, meekly holding it out to Lily, who took a pinch. She stepped into the fireplace, before turning around. "And thank you," Lily said, as she disappeared in the swirling flames.

Her husband plodded back into the room, half a sandwich in his hand. He took a bite out of it, "So, how's it go?" he managed half coherently, as he sprayed her slightly with a couple of crumbs. "Sorry, bout that."

"Don't talk to me right now," said Andromeda sighing. "And give me that," she said, grabbing the rest of the sandwich and stuffing it in her mouth.

She didn't hear much from Lily after that, it was only through Dumbledore that Andromeda learned that Lily had indeed become Head Girl and was beginning to tolerate James's presence.

And sometime in the winter of 1979, when she was sitting by the fire wrapped up in a patchwork quilt, an owl she didn't recognize flew up to the window and tapped on the glass. She got up quickly to let it in; the snow was pounding the neighborhood incessantly. The owl shook the snow off its wings and held out its leg. As soon as she slid the letter off of its leg, it turned around and took off back into the storm.

Closing the window, she grabbed the letter opener from her desk and slit open the envelope. Out fell a picture and a tiny scribbled note.

Thank you, it read.

She looked at the picture, smiled, and got up to put it on her mantle. Lily waved at her enthusiastically, as she stood side by side with a young man, whom Andromeda assumed to be James Potter, on their wedding day.

A/N: I would appreciate your thoughts. Please review.


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